“Strength training regulates the nervous systems, lets the body experience manageable stress, and rebuilds a sense of safety and power..”

Last year (just as I started working for Polly actually!) I did a fantastic Trauma Informed Movement course in London run by The Movement Charity.

For many people exercise or fitness can be intimidating or anxious making, but for those with experiences of trauma, whether physical or psychological, ever more so.

The Movement Charity specialises in working with fitness professionals to make them more trauma aware in the language they use, how they demo and instruct physical movements, even taking into account the lighting, sound, entrance/exits and equipment in the space.

This probably makes sense to a lot of you, even if you haven’t experienced significant trauma, as large commercial gyms are often loud, busy, intimidating spaces with a very ‘macho’ aesthetic.

Polly’s space is great as it is light, airy, no loud music and super welcoming, It really makes you feel at home.

Recently I have been reading this fantastic book about why strength training in particular is SO good for trauma

Laura Khoudari ’Lifting Heavy Things: Healing Trauma One Rep at a Time’

So why is strength training good for healing trauma?

Khoudari argues that trauma recovery isn’t only cognitive—it’s also physical.

1. It helps people reconnect with their bodies

Trauma often causes people to disconnect from bodily sensations as a survival response. Strength training encourages a mindful awareness of movement, breath, and muscle engagement, which helps people gradually re-inhabit their bodies and feel safe inside them again.

Khoudari emphasises embodied movement—paying attention to what lifting feels like internally rather than just completing the workout.

2. It rebuilds a sense of safety and control

Trauma disrupts the nervous system and can leave people feeling powerless. Strength training allows individuals to experience:

* Predictable stress (lifting a weight)

* Completion (finishing the rep)

* Rest and recovery

This cycle teaches the nervous system that stress can be tolerable and manageable, which gradually expands a person’s “window of tolerance.”

3. The structure of lifting supports nervous-system regulation

Strength training naturally alternates between effort and rest. These pauses between sets allow the nervous system to settle and help people check in with how they feel, preventing overwhelm.

This rhythm mirrors trauma-therapy principles where exposure to stress happens in small, controlled doses.

4. Physical strength supports psychological strength

Getting stronger physically can translate into:

* Increased self-confidence

* Greater self-efficacy (“I can handle difficult things”)

* A sense of personal agency

Experiencing tangible progress—lifting heavier or moving better—can be empowering for people whose trauma involved loss of control.

5. It improves trauma-related symptoms

Strength training can help with common trauma symptoms by:

* Improving sleep

* Reducing chronic pain

* Supporting mood regulation

* Increasing overall physical resilience

These physiological improvements indirectly support emotional healing.

6. It allows healing without needing to talk about the trauma

A key message in the book is that movement can be healing even without verbal processing. Strength training offers a body-based pathway to recovery for people who find talk therapy insufficient or overwhelming.